Telematics units within mobile vehicles provide subscribers with connectivity to a telematics service provider (TSP). The TSP provides the subscriber with an array of services ranging from emergency call handling and stolen vehicle recovery to diagnostics monitoring and turn-by-turn navigation. Telematics units are often provisioned and activated at a point of sale when a subscriber purchases a telematics-equipped vehicle. Upon activation, the telematics unit can be utilized to provide a subscriber with the telematics services.
Many telematics services are dependent on voice communications between a user of the telematics unit and an operator at a TSP call center. In order to accommodate disabled individuals who may be unable to hear or speak, or have difficulty hearing or speaking, a TSP may offer telematics services through a TTY (TeleTYpewriter) device, also known as a TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf). The TTY device may connect to the telematics unit through a TIM (TTY Interface Module), allowing a person who is deaf and/or mute to utilize telematics services.
However, a TIM or a TTY device may not be installed on all vehicles, may be installed improperly, or may malfunction. The user may also simply forget to connect the TTY device to the TIM or to plug in the TTY device to a power source. Moreover, in certain situations, such as upon impact during an accident or airbag deployment, the TIM or TTY device may become disconnected, damaged, or inoperable. Thus, it is an object in part to provide a system and method for determining whether a deaf and/or mute subscriber has communication capabilities in the event of an emergency. However, while this is an object underlying certain implementations of the invention, it will be appreciated that the invention is not limited to systems that solve the problems noted herein. Moreover, the inventors have created the above body of information for the convenience of the reader and expressly disclaim all of the foregoing as prior art; the foregoing is a discussion of problems discovered and/or appreciated by the inventors, and is not an attempt to review or catalog the prior art.